


Decathect

by ShellyNelsonLahey



Category: Archie Comics, Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: M/M, South Side Serpents - Freeform, swangs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 14:40:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17920751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShellyNelsonLahey/pseuds/ShellyNelsonLahey
Summary: Everybody in Riverdale has secrets. But, the worst part about having a secret is when it comes out—and from a result of being drunk and sad is never a good combination. On the night of the end-of-summer party that Cheryl throws at Thistlehouse, if you fall in love with your best friend, try not to force yourself to suffer while he’s in a relationship, because that will end very, very badly.





	Decathect

Fangs sucked in his smooth lips, trying his best to hold in the tears that welled in his sad, pretty umber brown eyes. He watched sorrowfully as Sweet Pea and Josie sat beside each other on the edge of the pool at Thistlehouse, teasingly touching one another and giggling to themselves as if they were so irrevocably in love. Cheryl’s party signified the end of summer, and thus, their relationship from what Sweet Pea had told him about her conditions, but Fangs knew his best friend better than the laws of the Serpents. Sweet Pea was smitten with her, and even if they did, indeed, break up, he would still love her with every inch of his being because that’s just how Sweet Pea was. Much like Fangs himself, once he started to love someone, he doesn’t stop. He loves so deeply, so gently—he never wants to hurt anyone and he would bare whatever they had to so that the world—their world—would be a better place.

Normally, Fangs was much better at hiding his outright jealousy, because he has been hearing about the couple left and right all summer since they got together, but something about today just sent him over the edge. He couldn’t contain his feelings any longer, and being in public really 

He smelled Veronica’s familiar sweet coconut water, lily, apple, and driftwood infused scent before he averted his eyes from the couple and watched his friend sit down in front of him on the patio chair, sliding a red cup in his direction knowingly. Her familiar aura set him at ease a little bit. With a sigh, she reached forward and grabbed his hand comfortingly. “I know it hurts, but you need to tell him, Fangs. Hopefully this dreadful liquid courage might help?”

The Serpent boy laughed humorlessly under his breath, shaking his head before he took a drink. He puckered his lips at the bitter taste. “I can’t. Like, literally, I can’t—I have rehearsed what I would say to him, what I want him to know, but I just can’t fucking speak when it comes to actually telling him about my feelings. Maybe I’m just doomed to watch the people I love, love someone else.”

“I can’t imagine how scary it is for you. But, doesn’t he deserve to know that his best friend is in love with him?” Veronica soothed the skin on Fangs’ hand with her thumb, sending him a small, sympathetic smile. “And once you know how he feels about it, you can do what you need to with it. Figure it out together, or, sadly, move on.”

“I did try to tell him a few weeks ago. I got a couple of awkward, stuttering words in when I choked and instead told him that we should go fuck around in Sweetwater swimming hole.”

“Damn… Well, then why don’t you try it on me, instead?” Veronica tilted her head, concerned for the boy and his spiraling emotions. “Just to, you know, get it out of your system and practice it a little bit?”

Fangs wasn’t sure about opening up in public, especially where both Josie and Sweet Pea could see, but he did know that she was right. Letting out a small sigh, he nodded and mentally chanted “you can do this” to himself. “Whenever I look at you… Sweet Pea…” the boy cleared his throat, feeling awkward considering he was technically calling Veronica by Sweet Pea’s name.

Veronica urged with a light chuckle, “It’s alright, go on. You can do this.”

“My heart stops. It feels like the first time, but in reality, it happened so many months ago. It’s weird, and sad, I know—you could call this the tragic story of Edward Fogarty if it helps in some way,” Fangs let out a soft smile, a humorous breath of air breezing past his lips. “But, I know that if I see you today, or any day, smiling and laughing and being happy... I’d be much happier, too, even though I would cry myself to sleep over many ‘what ifs’ when you sleep beside me on the couch after a long night of killing each other on Call of Duty.”

Veronica couldn’t help the cooing, yet saddened ’aw’ that escaped her mouth.

“Because, after all this time, you’re still one of the most unforgettable people in my life. Hopefully, you still think of me as I think of you. It might not be a romantic love, but anything is better than you hating me. So, if finding out about this does makes you hate me, please, just break my heart and get it over with.”

“You need to tell him. Once he knows, it’s all up to him, and your guys’ friendship to lead the way. If he doesn’t feel the same way, then at least you can move on,” Veronica explained slowly, as if speaking any faster would cause the Serpent’s watery eyes to barrel down his cheeks. “Until then, drink with me and enjoy the last days of summer. Isn’t that Sweet Pea and Josie’s relationship’s expiration date?”

Fangs nodded lightly, wiping at his wet eyelashes and inadvertently causing the floodgates to open. “Please tell me Cheryl has something stronger in the house, just for me. I desperately need much more than this trashy party beer.”

“For us, actually,” Veronica smiled sadly. “Jughead and I had a big fight. I’ll go ask if we can break into her parent’s personal stash that they left here.”

“What’d you two fight about, if you don’t mind me asking?” It was Fangs’ turn to gently rest his hand over Veronica’s in concern.

“He’s letting the power of being Serpent king get to him. It’s getting so bad that I might have to make him choose between me or being Serpent king,” Veronica looked away—a posture Fangs knew all too well when it came to Veronica Lodge. She was trying to seep herself from crying, from showering her emotions. Much like Fangs was, earlier. “Every time I tell him to stop being such a dick, and stop treating you and Sweet Pea like his lap dogs, he just brushes it off and says that I don’t know how gangs work. Does he realize that gangs specialize in doing crime and him making it some weird rule is literally against everything a gang is?”

Fangs scoffed lightly, shaking his head. “I can’t believe he tried to kick me out behind closed doors, but then just so publicly kicks out Cheryl and Toni. I mean, yeah, they did go against the stupid new rule he created, but they stole a stupid, expensive egg from your father. He’s our enemy—he shouldn’t give a flying fuck about it.”

“I mean, I did ask him to get the egg back. My father was threatening me,” Veronica sighed. “But he won’t listen to me when I tell him to let them back in, let Toni, a native of the Serpent’s, back in. He’s being so fucking stupid right now. So, want to come with me and stop moping and get drunk with me?”

“Sounds fun. I’m in, Lodge,” Fangs grinned, downing his cup before he followed after Veronica and left the longing sorrow for his best friend and Josie by the pool behind. Tonight, he would forget all about it.

At least, he wishes he could.

 

 

 

Fangs let out a low moan, breathing in deeply as the boy who was equally as drunk as him shoved him into the wall. “Pick a room, any room…”

Chuckling between wet kisses, the boy quickly checked the doorknob to the left, finding it locked, and obviously in use. With a dissatisfied groan, the guy dropped Fangs and, together, with arms slung over each other’s shoulders, they hunted for an empty room to occupy.

“Fuck, you smell so good,” the guy grunted, his nose pressing into Fangs’ shoulder as they stumbled along the long hallway. “You feel good, too,” he whispered seductively, once again slamming the Serpent into the wall. “Why don’t we just do it right here? I doubt anybody’s going to come up here.”

Fangs shook his head. “No, we need privacy. My best friend has been trying to talk to me all night but I’m ignoring him, so he may come looking for me.”

“Well, then, let him burst in on me on my knees,” the guy sucked at Fangs’ neck, desperate for his touch, for his kiss, for his drunken love. Fangs was equally as needy, but for the wrong reasons. “I doubt he’d do it again.”

“There’s the bathroom,” Fangs pointed out, “let’s hope no one’s in there.”

“If there is, they’re either going to have to leave, or share,” the boy snickered.

Pushing their way into the bathroom, both were silently relieved that nobody else was in there. The guy pushed Fangs off of his body, then cocked an eyebrow seductively. “Got any protection?”

Fangs threw his head back in a laugh. “I’m a Serpent. Do you really think I wouldn’t carry around protection just in case? This tattoo is like a sex magnet.”

“Oh, shut the fuck up and drop your pants.” However, instead, the guy grinned up at Fangs and did it for him with a devious, sharp eyebrow raised. When his pants were down by his ankles, the boy smirked as he looked him over. Biting down on his lip, he growled seductively, “Fuck, Fogarty…”

Fangs wasn’t able to do anything with him when the door burst open, Sweet Pea poking his head in with a sigh of relief. “Thank God, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Glancing at the guy with Fangs, he pointed his thumb behind him. “Out.”

The guy nodded, hastily crawling his way past Sweet Pea and out of the door.

“What the fuck, Sweet Pea?” Fangs snarled, pulling up his pants before he crossed his arms angrily. “Do you see me cock blocking you and Josie?”

Sweet Pea scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Well, even if you wanted to, you couldn’t. She broke up with me earlier today. But, right now I want to know why you’ve been ignoring me all night.”

“I just want to have some fun,” Fangs glared at his best friend. “Why do you have to ruin that just to ask me why you think I’ve been ignoring you. Which, by the way, I haven’t.”

“Oh, so when I confronted you earlier to tell you about Josie and I, you immediately went to go join some stupid North Sider looking for a chugging contest?” Sweet Pea narrowed his eyes, knowing there was something his best friend was hiding. “You’ve been ignoring me, dude. Why?”

“Maybe because I don’t want to hear every fucking thing about you and Josie, when I’m fucking in love with you!” Fangs snapped, taking a couple of moments to recognize that he had just told Sweet Pea his secret. But, not that it was already out, he had to keep going, he had to get everything off of his chest. “I’ve known for awhile now, and I’ve held my tongue because I know you’re in love with her, Pea. I know you better than I know myself.”

“Fangs…”

“No, don’t fucking say anything until I’m done!” Fangs shouted, tears welling up in his eyes. “I’ve been ignoring you because it kills me to know that you’ll never feel the same way about me, and you and I both know that you knowing this will fuck up everything between us.”

“What? Why would you think that?”

“Why would it ruin things between us? Because—”

“No,” Sweet Pea cut in with a small laugh. “Why would you think that I don’t feel the same way about you?”

“Because you look at Josie like she’s your whole world,” Fangs muttered, keeping his gaze onto the floor. “I can’t replace that—I don’t want to replace that. If you do like me like that, I don’t want to be her replacement. I don’t want to be your second choice.”

“Fangs,” Sweet Pea breathed in deeply as he took a couple of steps forward to meet his best friend’s body. “I may have fallen for her, sure, but it could never compare to what I feel for my best friend. You’ll never be my second choice.”

“Really?” Fangs looked up at Sweet Pea hopefully, surprised at how close he was to his face. He shook his head, ducking underneath him to bring distance between them. “No. You two just broke up—I’m not just going to be the rebound.”

“You’re not—”

“If I’m not your rebound, then will you say all of this again in two weeks, when I’m not buzzing with alcohol and you’re not hours fresh of a breakup?” Fangs questioned with tears running down his cheeks. “Will you, or is this just some way to make sure we stay friends?”

“Where is this coming from?”

“It’s coming from everything I’ve seen the last few months, what I’ve figured out about you,” Fangs rotated his jaw. “If you’re not lying to me, we can do this again in two weeks. Say yes, or I’m leaving right now.”

Sweet Pea’s mouth slacked a couple of times, wanting to speak, but being unable to.

“I knew it. This is you just trying to keep me as your best friend in hopes that we can restart,” Fangs shook his head, disappointed. He turned around and flung the door back, seething. “Suffer your breakup alone and bitter—you’ll get a taste of how I’ve been the past few months.”

Fangs took a couple of steps out of the bathroom, and then down the hallway. But, he stopped when he heard a small, “yes,” from Sweet Pea. “I’m not trying to deceive you, Fangs. Yes, we’ll do this in two weeks and my feelings for you will still be the same.”


End file.
